Estonian Finance Ministry representative: Government will decide on EU funds
In Estonia, final political decisions on the allocation of European Union funds for the 2028–2034 budget period will be made by the government, not Finance Ministry officials. Triin Tomingas, head of the Finance Ministry's external funds department, wrote this in an article for ERR News.
According to her, over the course of the year, the ministry prepared materials for government discussions together with ministries, sector representatives and other partners. Tomingas denied claims that officials had allegedly independently determined the distribution of funding or had already deprived certain areas of promised support.
Requests exceed available funds
The European Commission proposed providing Estonia with a total of €6.5 billion in support under the next EU multiannual budget. According to Tomingas, approximately €5.5 billion can be allocated now, in the autumn, while the remainder must stay in reserve under EU rules.
At the same time, Estonian ministries submitted funding applications totaling €11.4 billion. The volume of requests is more than twice the funds planned for allocation at this stage, making it impossible to finance all the stated needs, she said.
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Preparation and negotiations
Preparations for the new budget period began in autumn 2025. The Finance Ministry organized discussions with ministries, interest groups and partner organizations, involving around 70 sectoral associations and hundreds of participants. In spring, the ministry also published the ministries' applications and invited the public to provide feedback.
Tomingas stressed that officials can prepare allocation options, recommendations and assessments of financial consequences, but ministers choose between political priorities, while the government makes the decision on the entire package. Estonia must then hold negotiations with the European Commission, during which the package may change and be resubmitted to the government before final agreements are reached.
She added that the €6.5 billion proposed by the European Commission is not yet a finally agreed amount: budget discussions are ongoing in Brussels, and EU states have different interests. According to Tomingas, Estonia expects greater attention and funding for the European Union's eastern border.
